Youthful Long Beach tastes success

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After a difficult 2015 season, Long Beach’s girls’ cross-country program is running in the right direction.

The Lady Marines, spearheaded by an influx of freshmen, finished 9-4 in Conference 2, tripling last year’s win total, in what coach Greg Milone describes as a “complete turnaround.”

“Last year was tough, but now I’m really excited about the future,” Milone said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in because we had so many new faces. 

“It’s great we have 10 freshmen in the program along with some sophomores,” he added. “They’re all competitive with each other and pushing each other, and they care about their times and the results of the team.”

A standout last fall, sophomore Kelly Roethel, has picked up where she left off. She finished a solid 30th at the Nassau County championships last season at Bethpage State Park, setting a PR of 22 minutes, 4 seconds, in the process, and represented the Lady Marines at the state qualifier meet. “Kelly has a lot of raw talent,” Milone said. “She’s been first or second for us every conference meet and steadily in the high 22s.”

Roethel finished in the top six overall in three conference races, including a third-place showing in the opener, at a distance of 4K, on Sept. 13 in 19:02.7. She was also fifth and sixth overall in the Sept. 20 and Oct. 6 races, respectively.

Audrey Cozine has led a deep and talented group of freshmen. She finished no lower than seventh overall in any of the five conference races and placed second, just ahead of Roethel, in the opener. Cozine’s PR of 22:51 came Sept. 26. “Audrey loves to run and compete and has great disposition,” Milone explained. “She’s always interested in how she does and what she can do to get better.”

A different set of runners rounded out Long Beach’s top five in conference meets. Senior ToniAnn Larson consistently finished in the top seven, and junior Helena Henry stepped up her game considerably from a year ago, Milone said, backed by a strong work ethic.

Freshmen Malin Garfinkel, Lindsey Del Rio, Erin Brown and Brenna Regan are other key reasons the Lady Marines put last year’s struggles in the rearview mirror. Garfinkel closed the regular season with a PR on Oct. 17, crossing the line in 24:32. Del Rio ran a tremendous opener, finishing third, and is on the verge of cracking 25 minutes in the 5K. Brown’s best 5K (24:39) came Oct. 6, and Regan came through in the clutch when called upon in the finale and ran a 25:43.

Milone said a one-point loss to Herricks was an influential learning experience for the young Lady Marines. “They were upset, which showed how much they care,” he said. “It was a day that showed how much every athlete matters.

“My goal is to get the entire team into the state qualifier,” Milone said. “Based on what we’ve done so far, there’s a good chance.”